Sunset Park residents demand more youth programs
Over 200 parishioners from Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) filled a meeting room after mass one recent Sunday and appealed to local politicians and community leaders to help create more positive after-school and weekend programs for youth in Sunset Park, where parents and even teenagers themselves say they do not feel safe walking around at night.
All three elected officials or their representatives who were present agreed to the church groups request to form a public task force that will address the need for improved public safety and more positive influences for Sunset Park youth. This included Congressmember Nydia Velázquez, Councilmember Sara González, and Assemblymember Felix Ortiz.
Their support elicited loud applause from the intergenerational crowd of adults and children, some of whom spoke of their own experiences struggling with keeping themselves and their kids safe.